Full Circle, released in the United States as The Haunting of Julia,[4] is a 1977 supernatural horror film directed by Richard Loncraine, and starring Mia Farrow and Keir Dullea.
Based on the novel Julia by the American writer Peter Straub, it is the first film realisation of one of his books, and follows a woman who, after the death of her daughter, finds herself haunted by the vengeful ghost of a young girl in her new home.
Meanwhile, Julia, curious about the home's prior residents, learns from a neighbour that it once belonged to Heather Rudge, who sold the property after her daughter Olivia died.
She says she has followed the lives of the children who were in the park with Geoffrey that day, and asks Julia to visit the remaining two, now adults: Captain Paul Winter and David Swift.
Swift recounts Geoffrey's murder, which was orchestrated by Olivia: She forced the other boys to hold him down while she shoved grass and clumps of dirt down his throat and then smothered him with a coat.
Julia returns home, where she witnesses Olivia's apparition, first in the bathroom mirror and then in the living room playing with Kate's beloved cymbal-banging clown toy.
"[5] Writer Kim Newman compares the film to Nicolas Roeg's Don't Look Now (1973) due to its shared themes of the supernatural and the grief of losing a child, which unwittingly leads a mourning parent to their own demise.
[6] Harry Bromley Davenport wrote the original screen adaptation of American novelist Peter Straub's Julia (1975), titling the screenplay The Link.
[15] Director Richard Loncraine stated that the shoot was at times tense, and noted that Farrow, whom he described as "an eccentric" but "well-mannered woman," disappeared for two days after suffering a nervous breakdown, which temporarily halted the production.
[19] One of the most notable differences was the fate of Magnus: In the original cut, his character is not killed while breaking into Julia's home, and instead leaves the house angrily before departing to a social club.
[14] Following its premiere at the San Sebastian Film Festival, The Guardian noted: "Some of the technical work is first-class, as are many of the supporting performances (you'll either like or hate Mia Farrow according to taste).
"[33] Tom Milne of The Observer alternately felt the film was predictable, and that director Loncraine's "piling on the emptily brooding stylistics does little to help matters.
"[34] Elizabeth Smith of the Montreal Gazette praised Farrow's performance as "harrowing," adding that "the tension is strong throughout, never a let-up or a breather... you'll leave the movie drained of emotion.
"[36] Ernest Leogrande of the New York Daily News gave the film a one-and-a-half-star rating out of four, writing that it "seems to be structured around the themes of expiation and forgiveness... [but] it's hard to get interested in the fate of the pallid Julia.
"[29] Janet Maslin of The New York Times was unimpressed by the film, writing that it "manages to draw on every horror movie cliche imaginable and still make very little sense... As directed by Richard Loncraine, The Haunting of Julia is virtually scareless, and the camera angles provide advance tipoffs to the few frightening episodes that punctuate the dull ones.
"[37] The Washington Post's Judith Martin gave the film a similarly unfavorable review, writing that the opening scene "has more of the real essence of horror to it than any number of walks down dark passages to the accompaniment of jangly background music.
Unfortunately, after this one fresh approach, the film turns to dark, noisy walks," concluding that it "lacks the psychological logic of a good ghost story.
[42] The French distributor Le Chat qui Fume announced in January 2023 a 4K UHD Blu-ray edition due for release in July 2023.